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“Babe, don’t forget you have a date with Rachel tonight.” Danny called up the stairs from where he stood in the living room clipping his badge to his waistband.
“I still don’t know why me. Why doesn’t she want you?” Steve frowned as he bounded down the stairs two at a time.
“Do I look like the type that wants anything to do with formal exercise? I get quite enough exercise chasing your crazy ass around at work, and then there is always the extracurricular exercise we participate in.” Danny walked out the front door, holding the car keys over his head for Steve to grab as he closed the door after them.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Steve didn’t think much more about it until Rachel walked through the doors of HQ at around six that evening while the team was standing around the tech desk finishing up some discussions.
“Commander, I know that you and Daniel car pool, I thought it might be more convenient for me to collect you.” She smiled as she stopped beside Danny and pressed a friendly kiss to his cheek.
“That’s kind of you Rachel. I’ll just get my things.” Steve frowned, unable to shake the feeling that he was missing something.
“Hurry up, Babe.” Danny grinned. “You don’t want to be late.”
“Yes, Commander, time is as they say of the essence.” Rachel smiled sweetly.
“I’ll see you at home,” Steve leaned in to press a kiss to Danny’s forehead, “Don’t stay too late.”
Danny watched as Steve followed Rachel out of the office, a broad grin on his face.
“What’s that all about, brah?” Kono frowned as she poked her head out of her office.
“Rachel, Step Stan and I decided that Steve needs something to distract him.”
“And Steve is going along with this?” Chin spoke as he walked out of his own office.
“He has no idea, Stan is visiting with Grace and Rachel is using that as her cover, he thinks he’s going to a spin class.” Danny grinned.
“Where is he going?” Kono asked.
“A contemporary dance class,” Danny couldn’t even begin to hide the laughter in his voice. “Anyone else want to come and watch?”
“Lead the way, my nefarious friend.” Chin smiled.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Steve waited for Rachel to climb into her car, then slid into the car beside her and closed the door.
“Rachel, we’ll have to swing by my place on the way to collect some workout gear.” Steve suggested as Rachel leaned forward to speak to the driver who pulled the car out of the car park.
“No need for that, Commander.” Rachel smiled and patted his knee gently, she gestured to the bag sitting on the floor of the vehicle between them. “I bought a pair of Stan’s pants, the shirt you’re wearing is fine, and I bought appropriate footwear as well.
Daniel tells me you’re a size eleven, as Stan is.”
“You seem to have everything covered.” Steve frowned, warily; still convinced that something not quite right was going on here.
“Commander?” Rachel squeezed his knee affectionately, “Steve,” she spoke softly, her voice husky, “I haven’t really had the chance to talk to you directly, but I really want to thank you for what you do for Grace. None of us could love her more than you do, you may not be blood but you’re a parent to my little girl and I want….no need, to thank you for that.”
“She’s a very easy little girl to love,” Steve murmured, swallowing the lump of emotion in his throat.
“That she is, Commander.” Rachel smiled and leaned over to press a kiss to his cheek as the car stopped.
Grabbing the handles of the sports bag on the floor, Steve stepped out of the vehicle and waited for Rachel to alight before closing the door behind her. Steve followed her into a non-descript building, inside it was well lit and airy. The woman at the counter smiled and acknowledged Rachel by name, and smiled encouragingly at Steve.
“You must be the Commander. Rachel has told us all about you.” She called to Steve, acknowledging him with a bright wave. “There is a change room just here,” she gestured to a door just beside the counter. “Class starts in ten minutes.”
Steve nodded at the woman and with a small nod to Rachel he walked briskly into the assigned change room.
Opening the bag, he frowned as he lifted out a shiny black leather shoe with a Cuban heel, reaching into the bag with his other hand he pulled out its mate. Frowning in confusion, Steve put the shoes on the seat beside the bag and dug in the bag for the rest of his ‘workout’ gear. The pants he found were made of some sort of lycra/nylon hybrid with a thin waist band and slightly flared legs.
Shaking his head at the fact that he had ignored his spidey senses and managed to find himself duped into something that was now beyond his control, he quickly stripped his own boots, over shirt and cargo pants off, and folding his clothes neatly he packed them into the bag. Slipping into the pants he winced at the seemingly tight fit, but after stretching and bending down to touch his toes, he grudgingly accepted them. Sitting on the seat he slipped his feet into one shoe and tied the laces, and then the other.
Standing he smoothed his tee-shirt and moved out of the door, leaving the bag behind on the seat.
Rachel was waiting a few feet from the door, nervously chewing her bottom lip. For the first time, Steve noticed the light flouncy dress Rachel was wearing, along with sandals that looked straight out of an episode of Dancing with the Stars.
“Ready?” he offered with a nervous smile.
“I’m forgiven for the duplicity?” Rachel returned her own nervousness evident.
“I probably wouldn’t have come with you if I’d known, but I understand why you did it, and you’re all right, we do need to do something fun. She wouldn’t want us to give up on life.”
“Stan really enjoys this, says it’s good to get him out of his head, that’s why we thought it would be good for you.”
Steve bent at the waist and bowed at her, and then as he straightened he extended a bent arm for her to loop her arm through and walk with him into the adjoining room and onto the dance floor.
“The clothes really suit you commander, and I’d say you’re a little bigger than my Stanley, I don’t remember his pants being quite that ‘snug’ on him.” She smiled shyly.
“You know if I had known I couldn’t have brought my own pants.” He leaned in conspiratorially.
“Whatever do you mean, Commander?” Rachel looked up at him, as he twirled her to stand before him, his hands on her body, holding her closely in their dancing position.
“I mean, Mrs. Edwards, there was a time when I had to support myself somehow, stripping paid more, but teaching elegant women how to dance was much more satisfying.”